Kristy Brown

Summer’s End is the first book I read by Kristy Brown. It was also featured in the Book Recommendations section of this blog earlier this year. You can read a free excerpt here. It was the cover that got my attention and the blurb hooked me.

Summer is a college student who wakes up in the hospital having survived a fire that burned down her house and killed her family. But she has no memory of it, actually no memory at all, she doesn’t even remember her own name or dead family. The story show more picks up when her two best friends, that Summer doesn’t remember, start looking after her and at least apparently make efforts to jog her memory. I can’t say more about that without giving spoilers.

Meanwhile, we get to meet Dooney (whose real name is Alex Doones), a boy who was trained from childhood to kill her. We have a very little background for Dooney, except his people (we don’t know much about them, but they seem like a cult) indoctrinated him from an early age that he was the chosen one, the one who would kill Summer, the one who would otherwise burn down the world. He isn’t excited about the killing but feels like it’s his duty.

Killing is my gift. Would I have preferred a fishing rod or a racer? Hell yeah! But it is what it is.

Once he meets Summer he starts having mixed feelings because she is nothing like he expected, yet Dooney is determined to go through with the initial plan.
Read the full review here: https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-reviews/summers-end-by-kristy-brown-2 show less

'Somewhere deep down inside her, there was a puzzle she could not solve. This feeling made her uneasy and edgy, so she buried it away and kept it hidden. In her dreams though, came the desire to seek it out. And in her dreams something, or someone, was seeking her.'

Plot

Kiera is a young girl that lives with her Uncle, after her parents abandoned her. Kiera's life is pretty normal, apart from a feeling deep inside that somehow, she's different. In her dreams she visits another world and feels show more vulnerable and hunted, but there's always a presence with her, protecting her.

Zakk is the Prince of Zantar, the world that Kiera dreams in. After the evil Witch Queen overthrew his parents, she places Zakk under a spell that can only be reversed with Kiera's help.

As their lives entwine, Kiera discovers that she's not the only one affected by the Witch Queen, and she'll start to question who she can really trust.

My thoughts

I was given a free ebook copy of this in exchange for a review, and I really enjoyed it. This book is a short story, and I could have finished it in one sitting if I didn't have to do anything else. The story had a great concept, with comedic elements too, and would be a good fantasy novel for teens to read, as well as adults.

Kiera feels an undeniable connection with Zakk, despite only meeting him once. Through her dreams, she has become familiar with Zakk, and feels a deep bond with him. This was important since it was such a short story; otherwise most of the book would have been spent with them getting to know each other.

There was a lot packed into this story, despite it being short. The plot was fast paced and I found myself engrossed from the start. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and enjoyable read with a new concept.

The Author

This book is by Kristy Brown, an English Author with a love of poetry and short stories. 'Kiera's Quest:Awakenings' is the first book in a series. The next book is 'Kiera's Quest:Sacrifices.' show less

This was so cute. I really enjoyed this take on a classic. In this story Ash is the poor boy who is mistreated by his family and hoping that one day he can get away. Ellie is a rich princess who doesn’t want her life decided for her so she runs away and stumbles into Ash’s barn. They form a bind in the short time they are together and it’s love at first sight. I really loved it and thought Gerry the fairy godfather was great.

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#1 Summer's End - ★★★
#2 Summer's Lost - TBR



Summer’s End is a Young-Adult romance, with a fantasy twist – an interesting and unique book I didn’t expect to read.

First of all – let’s all take a minute to cherish the cover. It is so pink and shiny, and I admit it, it was the first thing that made me read this book. Gorgeous cover!!!

Summer wakes up in a hospital, but she doesn’t remember anything from her past. They tell show more her she was in a fire accident and barely survived. Before she is ready, she starts going to uni with her two best friends who are helping her remember the past. But when she gets near this one boy, she feels something she has felt before…

Dooney has been training his whole life to kill her when the time is right. She is dangerous and he knows this. He has been trying to locate her for a long time now. And when he finally knows where she is, she makes him feel other things than hatred.

A very quick-paced book with lots of dialogues and quick chapters. Summer’s End make me turn pages constantly, until I finally got to the end. It was very captivating.

The beginning was great, it lured me in instantly, getting me hooked to both character’s lives. However, I didn’t quite enjoy the romance between the two. It felt too fast, too pushed and over the top. This is because of all the repetitive scenes where Summer would faint when he is near and they would always feel each other’s presence. It just didn’t feel real to me.

Saying this though, the ending was amazing and the romance got a bit better at the very end.

Apart from a few plot holes and the romance, I did enjoy this book a lot. If you love YA, I do recommend that you check this book out!

Thank you to the author, Kristy Brown, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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